2016 NOTES: January Days 11-31

Day 11: Writing can be a gruesome profession. I introduced a character three days ago and today I decided to kill him.

Day 12: We hate darkness, in fact we often constitute evil with darkness, yet we rely on darkness to show us the light.

Day 13: A man entered the hospital with wilted hands, heavy feet and empty pockets. He was sick, and needed to recover from the cold world outside.

Day 14: The danger of being an immigrant is that you’re always looking for home.

Day 15: If life gives you lemonades you should try and figure out the recipe for lemon drops.

Day 16: It’s true, there’s a season for everything. I should know, I found a mango at the back of my fridge and its season had passed.

Day 17: Someone asked me recently what I find to be the single most important item in my life and I thought of my phone. After all it is my Bible, compass, radio, book, and well… Should I continue?

Day18: Often people just care about themselves, but I like to think the world is worth saving and that’s why they turn off the stove after cooking.

Day19: For those wanting to “stay connected” it’s a tough world. Good luck finding someone that will step away from their phone for a long conversation.

Day 20: A man came home angry and yelled at his son. The next day he became even more angry and when his wife asked him what was wrong that evening he replied, “My son refuses to talk to me!”

Day 21: When people say a dream is impossible, I remind myself of how personal dreams are by closing my eyes.

Day 22: I learned years ago that the hardest part of being a freedom fighter is knowing when to stop fighting and accept freedom.

Day 23: When I was younger I clung to my parents because I needed them. Later I moved away and rarely spoke to them. Now I tell myself they are the ones that need me, even though I know they are my world.

Day 24: I’ve had a hard time selling my college books, the number one complaint is that books are heavy and no one wants to drag them around. Ironically most of mine are paperback.

Day 25: Why do people say you are a loose canyon? For a loose canyon fires and never returns to apologize.

Day 26: Friendships are funny, in each friend I look for reminders of my family members and wonder if that is really what I’m missing.

Day 27: I love to sing traditional songs, like happy birthday, off key, high pitched and free.

Day 28: We are not plants, we do not wait to be watered, weeded and replanted – instead we look to those closest to us and beg for those things.

Day 29: Loving what you do makes you forget the clock that ticks in the room, and the sun that dances across the sky.

Day 30: Like old habits, closing a door sometimes requires changing the lock and throwing out the old key.

Day 31: Coming from a quiet family has its perks, arguments never last long.